Those who use the left foot have to be EXPERT at it and most aren't. Irritates the hell out of me to ride with someone who thinks they know what they are doing, and are only riding the brake. Off throttle, on brakes.

Blacksheep

12th Aug 2006, 05:45

Right foot for braking.
Once stationary, handbrake on, gear to neutral.
When clear to go - left foot on brake, engage drive, release handbrake, right foot presses throttle and left foot releases brake simultaneously.

I do so hate being behind stationary cars that have their brake lights on.

My Dad drove our old Humber auto once. Nearly went through the windscreen, seat and all, when he depressed the "clutch" to change gear. :)

G-CPTN

12th Aug 2006, 05:46

The very first automatic car that I drove was a left-hand-drive car in the UK. I managed FINE until I came to park it parallel to the road/footway. As the car edged into the parking space, I depressed the clutch (except it was the brake of course) so I almost went through the windscreen! That was the start of me driving numerous left-drive and right-drive automatics and manuals (I was a test driver) and I learned various techniques using left-foot braking (for manuals as well as automatics. I could swap readily from left-drive to right-drive (in the UK AND on the Continent of Europe) though my MANUAL gear-shifting was ragged until I got used to the different coordination of hands and feet. The PEDALS were the same from left to right-drive, but the hand-movements weren't. In time I learned to compensate, even with 'crash' truck gearboxes with splitter OR range-change shifts (up to 21 gears in one case with three-speed rear axles).

left foot on brake, engage drive, release handbrake, right foot presses throttle and left foot releases brake simultaneously.
THAT'S the way to make a 'swift' start with an automatic, whether it be a 7-litre car or a 12-litre 400 HP truck. Wind-up the engine against the torque-convertor then drop the 'brake' and off you go . . . :E

Buster Hyman

12th Aug 2006, 06:14

Right foot....it's called the right foot for a reason!:ok:

Now, if we're talking gears...I didn't mind the Pre-Select gearbox in the Saracen...but that's for another thread.:cool:

airship

12th Aug 2006, 06:30

IIRC, the brake pedal in an automatic tends to be almost twice as wide compared to one in a manual. Ergo, the car makers leave the choice of which foot to use to the driver. Put your best foot forward...! ;)

Unwell_Raptor

12th Aug 2006, 07:12

If you only ever drive autos, left foot is logical. If you regularly drive auto and manual, stick to the right one.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

12th Aug 2006, 08:40

If you drive a crap car, you might find it necessary to keep some power applied at all times, therefore your right foot is continually in use and any breaking you need must be performed by the left foot.

Of course, once you drop six hundred bucks to replace the throttle body you can revert to driving correctly, right foot for break and the go-pedal, left foot tucked up on your seat so you can pick your toes. :ok:

Basil

12th Aug 2006, 08:48

Mrs B actually managed to STALL an auto in the US by slapping her left foot onto the (non existent) clutch as we turned left into a gas station - she's never forgotten the sound of the air horn on the LARGE rig now rushing towards us from the right.
I normally use right foot to brake but, manoeuvering in confined spaces (for which I'd prefer a manual box), I cover the brake with my left foot in case the auto suddenly lurches off.

G-CPTN

12th Aug 2006, 08:53

I was once overtaken approaching the blind brow of a steep hill with an approaching truck appearing FAST. The driver of the overtaking car learned very quickly how to spell ERF and I don't suppose he's forgotten to this day . . .

G-CPTN

12th Aug 2006, 08:55

I was once overtaken on the blind brow of a steep hill with an approaching truck appearing FAST.
The driver of the overtaking car learned very quickly how to spell ERF and I don't suppose he's forgotten to this day . . .

rotated

12th Aug 2006, 11:10

Right for both, left is firmly planted on the footrest so provided...:ok: Lots of curves here in the mountains;)

terryJones

12th Aug 2006, 11:12

You meen that there are still cars out there with THREE pedals....
Seriously, the right foot for everything. The first auto I drove was the Mkl Granada, and that would definately hurl you through the windscreen if the left foot was used. The very first emergency stop I recall well, BOTH feet hit the brake...We stopped ok, in a cloud of tyre smoke.
When pointing step daughters Focus now, I always tend to 'forget', shuddering to a halt the first time I slow down at the road junction.

noisy

12th Aug 2006, 11:24

Automatics are for people who can't drive. Discuss. :E

Jerricho

12th Aug 2006, 13:52

IIRC, the brake pedal in an automatic tends to be almost twice as wide compared to one in a manual

Yup. The big one says stop and the little one says go.

spekesoftly

12th Aug 2006, 13:59

IIRC, the brake pedal in an automatic tends to be almost twice as wide compared to one in a manual.........
Or for 'panic' braking ............... both feet together !! ;)

Unwell_Raptor

12th Aug 2006, 14:03

Noisy;

Wrong. I drive a five-speed Steptronic auto, with one-flick gearchanges involving a half-inch lateral movement of the gear lever.

To drive it is easy. To drive it well, in a hurry, requires skill and thought.

airship

12th Aug 2006, 14:09

Shouldn't an automatic car really have just the one pedal (if that) which would combine both the brake and accelerator? (ie. No foot on the pedal = max. braking applied; foot on the pedal down to a detent gradually eases off the brakes; after the detent it would work like a normal accelerator...)

So if you have a heart attack or fall asleep whilst driving, especially if the car has ABS and the trajectory control gizmo, it shouldn't be so much of a drama...?! :8

Jerricho

12th Aug 2006, 14:10

trajectory control gizmo

That would be the steering wheel then?

spekesoftly

12th Aug 2006, 14:12

I drive a five-speed Steptronic auto, with one-flick gearchanges
Think I'm correct in saying that if you pass a UK Driving Test in an 'automatic' car, then you are not legally entitled to drive a 'manual'. So what's the position with semi-autos (Tiptronic/Steptronic etc) ? Is the lack/presence of a conventional foot operated clutch pedal the deciding factor?

frostbite

12th Aug 2006, 14:49

Shouldn't an automatic car really have just the one pedal (if that) which would combine both the brake and accelerator? (ie. No foot on the pedal = max. braking applied; foot on the pedal down to a detent gradually eases off the brakes; after the detent it would work like a normal accelerator...)

That's a frightening suggestion for an auto driver of some decades (I drive manual too),

Have always tucked my left foot behind the right and am a confirmed RFB - tried LFB once and found I was sliding forward on the seat and couldn't get my foot off the brake!

A2QFI

12th Aug 2006, 18:18

The 'Professionals' recommend left foot braking - it has never worked for me! In a manual I use my right foot on Accel and Brake and left foot on clutch; therefore, no clutch = No left foot. Anything else is dangerouns IMHO and in my practical experience!

Capt.KAOS

12th Aug 2006, 21:03

Most modern cars have computers which are set for right foot braking, some of them cannot handle left foot braking and right foot still on the accellerator.

In my race cars I used to brake with my left foot to cure understeer, or "push" as the Americans say.

matt_hooks

12th Aug 2006, 21:26

Left foot braking takes some serious practice to get right.

For those of us who drive cars with proper (read manual) transmissions, the left foot is used to working with the clutch, which usually requires mainly large movements in the downward sense and sensitivity in the release where as the brake requires the opposite. Hence the propensity to "almost put yourself through the windscreen" the first few times you attempt to left foot brake.

Average road conditions you should never need to use left foot braking, if you are planning ahead and observing properly you should never be in a situation where you need power AND braking at the same time.

In a race car the situation is somewhat different. There are distinct advantages to being able to apply power to the wheels whilst using the brakes to correct for drifting/understeer etc.

As a point of interest it is most effective for rear wheel drive cars. Most of the braking effort goes to the front wheels whilst power goes to the rear, allowing you to deliberately put the car "off balance" allowing you to corner somewhat faster by sliding the rear end around.

For most automatic cars all you are likely to achieve using the left foot braking technique is to heat the transmission up and wear out the brakes more quickly as the engine will be working directly against the brakes.

obgraham

13th Aug 2006, 02:04

I understand that on this left side of the pond, less than 20% of young drivers can drive a stick-shift vehicle. So that's why we see so many left foot brakers merrily chatting on their cell phone as they drive with their brake lights on for miles on end.
As I get older and lazier, and the traffic slower and slower, I have to admit a preference for automatic. But it's still right foot on the brake for me.

p290951

13th Aug 2006, 02:37

I am a Scot., living in Canada for the last 40years, 95% of the vehicles here are automatics. The correct medith is right foot on the accelerator and on the brake pedal. Some people like to use their left foot to brake and yes, we have a few who ride their brakes. It really is a no brainer.

Loose rivets

13th Aug 2006, 07:58

Mmmm......just wondered. I'm in a do nowt mode today so I'll go down memory lane again. Er, I'm also tired and surrounding a nice bottle of vino....well, not a bottle but the contents of course.

I guess that the first time I owned an auto was in the UK about 1960. I drove south over tower bridge and turned left into one of the little roads that still had ordinary families living there. One of them was a car dealer called Reg. He was the first bloke that I had ever heard Fand blind in front of his family.

I gave him £176 and my A30 and drove away in an Olds 88. This is the nearest that I can find.

It had a good gearbox, with super-drive...what we would call sports mode. It also had Washington plates, but I didn't care. I took the £10 customs receipt as proof that it was allowed to remain in the country. Sadly, it had slight front offside damage and a crack in the windshield on that side. So, all posing had to be done from the left, even if it meant turning round.

I don't have any conscious memory of using my left foot for the brake, but I know that I did, cos the 6,077 cc would leave one at 20 mph at tick-over.

From then on if an auto happened along, I would use my left foot on the brake, so Jag Mk 8 Mk9s, Mk 10 3.8 and 4.2, were all afflicted with that crappy Borg-Warner three speed. But it made a change from changing gear. My MkII, a couple of Es and an XJ6 were all 4 speed, some with electric over-drive. Years later I had a 7series BM with 5 speed ZF box. Very very strong kit that, and I kept it years. I would live in Austin and commute month about, swapping from auto to manual and left to right foot braking. I never had a problem changing to auto, it was coming back that caught me out.

Just about when I thought that I didn't have to...er, think, I was leaving SEN after a late flight and driving a manual Supra. The roads were clear in those days, and as I reached the point at which one has to leave the dual carriageway, I lazily lifted my left foot to start braking. The turnoff went by at a *** and something mph, with me pressing the clutch through the floor. A wake-up call in more senses that one.

I have just asked the Rivetess if she always uses her left foot, I'm surprised I hadn't noticed, but she does. The UK cars are both manual, so it's back to pumping clutches when at home.

I agree about the issue of flashing the brake lights. I'm also aware that the strip of LEDs along my trunk costs $500+ if they fail... however, I do keep a tight control by covering the brake all the time in traffic. I believe that a lot of time is taken up by coming off the gas and moving across to the brake pedal. If I had to quantify it, and going by that old brake sim that used to be in the UK motor show, I would guess that I could have brake pressures up in <.2 secs if over the pedal. I know that if I move across it's more like >.3

Having said this, the only times in....crikey! 50 years of driving, that I have had to do a classic emergency stop, has been in manuals. Once in 1959 and then not until 2001. Then it was as though it was all happening in slow motion. The child was still holding her mother's hand as I started going for the brakes, but she was heading off across the road at a speed that only a 4 year old can achieve in a microsecond...she had broken away and was almost out of sight under the bonnet when the ABS started to howl. It was all about anticipation, but the lad in the Cortina behind me...well he apologized a lot and the bendy bits all popped out again.

Some years ago I had quite a barney with my son and his wife, I had maintained that one should be able to monitor every gap between parked cars in a busy street. Basically they told me that I was talking horse-feathers, but it is analogous to riding with one's fingers over the front brake on a bike. IMHO it saves so much time that I'm on the brakes virtually all the time in ‘living areas'. So, left foot braking can let you get the brakes on faster, but must cause wear and often flickering brake lights. I feel that this is the ‘no brainer.' But I'm open to argument.

G-ZUZZ

13th Aug 2006, 11:04

Shouldn't an automatic car really have just the one pedal (if that) which would combine both the brake and accelerator? Shouldn't an automatic car have no pedals at all??? If you have to work a pedal it isn't really automatic, is it?

Also, why do they call them "pedals" since the engine does the work, not the rider?

Oh, I see you've been banned. Disregard then.

Or is that your new Personal Title? I can't always tell.

reynoldsno1

14th Aug 2006, 01:25

I do so hate being behind stationary cars that have their brake lights on.

In some countries it is recommended to provide "extra" warning lights for those who have perfected the 'accelerating to a stop" technique.
'Stick shifts' in the USA are now seen as an additional security feature, as more than one carjacker has given up on trying to steal a manual - afriend of mine who used to work for GM says thay still produce manuals as it makes the mileage figures look better (and they don't have to say they werre obtained in a manual model)

Loose rivets

14th Aug 2006, 02:57

Mmmm, that's interesting. There was a bit on the news here tonight. The numbers are only good for comparison, the reality can be 40% off. ah well, that's sorted that out.

I'm mindful about the security issue. Car theft here is serious, and once over the boarder you can kiss it goodby.

While taking my g-son home I got to thinking about my swapping with the UK car. Af course, every time I got into the other type, I was sitting on a different side, this alone would be a prompt to change techniques.

cavortingcheetah

14th Aug 2006, 04:23

:rolleyes:

Usually for braking, otherwise known as slowing down or stopping; I urge my girlf friend of the moment to use the heel of her left foot. I have found that were she to use her right heel, the entanglement factor with my left ankle can be a contributory accidental action.:ooh:

Coconutty

14th Aug 2006, 09:15

The accellerator on the right, used by the right foot, is for ACCELLERATING -

The BRAKE pedal, whether it is an automatic or not, is for BRAKING or slowing down at a greater rate than that achieved by lifting off the accellerator. The brakes should be applied by the LEFT foot in normal driving conditions as there should never be an occasion when you would want to acellerate and slow down at the same time :=

The handbrake / parking brake is used the keep the vehicle from moving once it has stopped ( Under normal conditions - no "Handbrake turns" ).
The "P" ( Park ) position of an Auto box has the same function but works by locking the transmission instead of the wheels.

On some vehicles - e.g. new Land Rover Discovery, there is a motorised Parking brake - this can be applied after stopping ( e.g. at Red Traffic signals ) and the Auto transmission left in drive ( no brake lights blinding the car behind ), then by depressing the accellerator ( wait for the green light ;) ) the Parking brake will release automatically and off you go :ok:
You can't do Handbrake turns in one of these :ooh:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/coconut11/Coconutty.jpg

tart1

14th Aug 2006, 09:51

The brakes should be applied by the LEFT foot in normal driving conditions as there should never be an occasion when you would want to acellerate and slow down at the same time
I was always told that this was the reason why you should only use your right foot both to accelerate and brake and never the left foot. :)

cavortingcheetah

14th Aug 2006, 09:59

:)

It is most refreshing to find a woman who has actually mastered the concept that the left foot, in a clutchless car, is employed primarily for the purpose of tapping to music and never for braking.:ooh:

Jump Complete

14th Aug 2006, 11:35

I always drive manuals, but I borrowed my mothers automatic car recently while my car was in the garage. All went well until when it came to stop; I put my right foot on the brake and also pushed down hard on the 'clutch'-the left side of the extra wide brake pedal-with the left foot. Luckily there was noone behind me because I stopped very quickly!

frostbite

14th Aug 2006, 11:54

My first experience of driving an auto came over 30 years ago when I was cab driving and my boss swapped the car for one.

Only downside was, proceeding down a hill and coming to the bend at the bottom, took foot off accelerator and relied on engine braking which wasn't there! Passengers and self almost ejected from car due to heavy braking which followed.

You only do that once.

patdavies

14th Aug 2006, 12:18

Think I'm correct in saying that if you pass a UK Driving Test in an 'automatic' car, then you are not legally entitled to drive a 'manual'. So what's the position with semi-autos (Tiptronic/Steptronic etc) ? Is the lack/presence of a conventional foot operated clutch pedal the deciding factor?

I would guess so. My son has an automatics only licence has drives a Corsa with the electric clutch system - it will change automatically under computer control, but also up and down on the lever.

I borrowed it once, but couldn't get it to start. Turns out that you have to press the brake pedal whilst turning the key. Bloody silly idea.

The current race technology of actually having a system which operates a real gearbox via electronics and hydraulics is acceptable, however switch operated slush boxes are tedious.. really really tedious.:ugh:

Loose rivets

14th Aug 2006, 13:29

Does anyone remember the little button brake...like an old type foot dip switch...that was in the Citroen ??? [The FWD banana shaped things with air suspension 1958 ish]

They also had a brake like an American parking brake pedal, which you pressed if the button brake failed. Mmmm....that would be interesting in an emergency.

Capt.KAOS

14th Aug 2006, 14:15

I borrowed it once, but couldn't get it to start. Turns out that you have to press the brake pedal whilst turning the key. Bloody silly idea.Not so silly as it sounds; it prevents the car from moving when in gear and/or foot on accelerator, having the AUDI's US products liability case in mind....

G-CPTN

14th Aug 2006, 15:37

My MkI Jaguar automatic had a device that would keep brake pressure trapped until you depressed the accelerator (to stop creep at junctions).

18-Wheeler

14th Aug 2006, 15:50

In an automatic car, I always LFB.
It feels perfectly natural to me, and I can modulate the brake just as well as I can with my right foot. And yes, I also race cars.
With RWD's I never LFB to balance the car, but in FWD's I often do.

seacue

14th Aug 2006, 16:33

Naive me can't understand how one could drive a car with manual gear change. One hand is required to hold the mobile/cell phone and the other to steer. That doesn't leave any hands for the gear change.:)

Seriously, a problem with left-foot braking would be that there's nothing holding one in the seat upon rapid deceleration. The process is positive feedback. One slides forward and applies even more brake pressure. This was unintentionally demostrated to me by a friend many years ago. A good tight seat belt would help a lot.

G-CPTN

14th Aug 2006, 16:50

A practical joke that I learned from a (totally mad) colleague several decades ago is to perfect the technique of controlling the steering wheel with your knees. THEN you wait for an observant grannie to motor-up behind you, at which stage you wind-down your window (remember those little crank-handles?) then make a (polite) hand signal (one from the highway code). LEAVE the right arm thrust out then using the left arm, reach out and grab your right arm and pull it back in. Septics are probably lost here as I've assumed a right-hand drive car, and they probably don't know what a hand signal was (OR the Highway Code).
Works for me.

Loose rivets

14th Aug 2006, 19:04

Hee hee.........that reminds me of a very large friend. His head always touched the head-lining in cars so he would often drive with the sun roof open. He had the habit of scratching his head like Stan Laurel, this he would do by opening the window and reaching in the sunroof.

G-Cs' post My MkI Jaguar automatic had a device that would keep brake pressure trapped until you depressed the accelerator (to stop creep at junctions).

That rings a very distant bell. Was it factory fitted, or was it an after-market device?

seacue

14th Aug 2006, 19:14

I doubt that G-CPTN would give the correct hand signals as required in Virginia way-back-when.

In all cases the hand of the arm giving the signal had to be turned so that the palm faced the rear. The 100% non-PC reason given was that the palm of some drivers had higher reflectivity than the other side of the hand. Those were the bad old days of racial segregation, etc.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

15th Aug 2006, 07:59

I don't use EITHER foot on the brake pedal :E

G-CPTN

15th Aug 2006, 16:40

That rings a very distant bell. Was it factory fitted, or was it an after-market device?
'Twas original equipment.

B Fraser

15th Aug 2006, 17:50

All automatics are the spawn of Beelzebub :suspect:

If you are not in direct and immediate control of the drivetrain, you are not in control. :=

I was once given an automatic Holden in Oz and having got used to it, I pulled into a petrol station and dumped the "clutch". My girlie passenger had a bruised sternum for a week as the severe braking set off the seatbelt tensioner !

HowlingWind

15th Aug 2006, 17:56

If you are not in direct and immediate control of the drivetrain, you are not in control.Sort of like an Airbus, then? :p

G-CPTN

15th Aug 2006, 18:00

Fully-automatic transmission (appropriately programmed) is very useful in a truck. This also applies to automatic-shift manual gearboxes. A GOOD automatic can be worthwile, however a badly programmed one is worth than useless.
I speak as one who has developed such transmissions. Like power steering, a well-matched and refined installation is a positive benefit.
Having said that, I choose manual . . .

B Fraser

15th Aug 2006, 18:45

I speak as one who has developed such transmissions. Like power steering, a well-matched and refined installation is a positive benefit.
Having said that, I choose manual . . .

A benefit ? Who for ? The infirm ?

My daily drive used to be a Porker 930 Turbo which didn't even have synchromesh let alone power steering or ABS. Arriving alive used to set me up for the day and the prospect of the drive home kept me going. Freebase Heroin derived Crack (or Lagavulin for the more discerning) snorted off the breasts of a supermodel would be less addictive.

Auto slushmatics ? Never :=

Loose rivets

16th Aug 2006, 21:50

Despite the thread having reached a natural drifting into obscurity, one will have to answer this.

The nth generation of Hydromatic GM boxes is quite a bit of kit. It is nothing less than melded into the Northstar engine, and is as smooth as a smooth thing. One the comparatively small Caddy Seville STS, the 300 HP is nothing less than crafted into the power-train by a system that is controlled by a ‘black box'. This computer takes into account, torque, throttle setting, temp, atmospheric pressure, rpms in, rpms out, type of driving over the last few miles...ie sporty or lethargic....and so it goes on. The software is nowt short of brilliant. Now that Cadillac have listened to their customers and put the power on the back wheels again, it really is a hot car.

When the stunningly beautiful BMW 850 came out, I had them bring the demonstrator to the Austin office. I had a cunning plan. Many of the aspiring racing drivers 14 years ago, wanted a hot car with manual gearbox that they could change with the right hand. With the exchange rate of the day, I could buy one here, use it for six months or so and ship it home for a sale with a profit. Huh! Racing went all girly with paddles, and the exchange rate flopped. Not so cunning, but I had a good go in the 850. The only thing was that the ‘demo' was an auto.

Our sales director got in the back and grumped and groaned at the noise of dinging and other warning sounds...he hollered in protest when I let the V12 loose. It was an exercise in futility.

One touch of the gas, speed limit warning. On the highway, instant speed limit reached in a microsecond--with no need for a gearbox whatsoever!

I'd got one of these looks on my face:E when I pulled up on a quiet road and then gunned it. The RPM went instantly to 6k and stayed there. The edges of the road started to blur...it was time to call it quits, the local Sheriff would have my b@<hidden>##s if he had caught me.

All in all there was no point at all in having a first gear, little point in second, a vague need for third, and a nicely chosen forth. I sorta wish that I could have kept it though.

Oh, and back to the point. I have just realized that the use of ‘cruise control' is an important point with left foot braking. I use cruise a lot to save getting a ticket and it stops the bad habit of brake dabbing mentioned earlier.

The speed limits here are displayed on one small sign...and change every hundred yards.
Well not really, but it seems like it. So, the 4th finger of the left hand locks onto the new speed every few minutes. Touch the brakes and the cruise would disengage.

Fernando_Covas

17th Aug 2006, 10:01

I'm lazy and drive a Volvo Automatic during the day because I can't be bothered with all this clutch up and down every 2 yards and I use my right foot. Now my Lotus on the other hand......... I use the heal and toe of my right foot.

Left foot braking in an automatic is a good way for drivers to build up "feel" so they don't put the passengers through the windscreen should they choose to use left foot braking to bring the back end around on those big roundabouts.....:E

Romeo Charlie

17th Aug 2006, 20:43

should they choose to use left foot braking to bring the back end around on those big roundabouts.....:E

I tend to use the accelerator to do that........

Fernando_Covas

17th Aug 2006, 20:53

Take the car in at a nice speed, quick hard dab of the brake, turn and then apply the power. Balance is the key. Most cars will just understeer out if you plant the go faster pedal because all the weight shifts to the rear. Get all the weight onto the nose to make the fronts dig into the road and as soon as you start to turn in the back will come around nicely. Bit of opposite lock to stop it coming around too far and a dab of power to hold it there. There is no better feeling when you get it just right.

*Please note that this should only be used on a track or private road.

G-CPTN

17th Aug 2006, 23:55

I had a colleague whose main occupation was that of professional racing driver. He was known for his ebullient style, having cut his teeth on overpowered sports cars. Whilst MOST of his public road driving was demure (come to think of it I did most of the driving when we were together) there were occasions such as the one where he demonstrated how to 'get the tail-end out' when driving a Volkswagen Transporter (you know, the typical Aussie motor-caravan). This WASN'T on a deserted country road, but in City traffic!

CaptainZEn

18th Aug 2006, 01:42

Does anyone remember the little button brake...like an old type foot dip switch...that was in the Citroen ??? [The FWD banana shaped things with air suspension 1958 ish]

They also had a brake like an American parking brake pedal, which you pressed if the button brake failed. Mmmm....that would be interesting in an emergency.

We colled them "strijkijzer", it means iron, what you use on an ironing board to get the wrinkles out. If the governement does not make better roads, we will make better suspension said Citroen, and they did. I sure remember those funny brake pods, it was a bit of getting used to, to just tip it ever so softly. The best car I ever had, I got a few of them when they were popular in Holland, France, Italy. Did long hauls like from Amsterdam to Rome and Stockholm to Madrid. There never was a more comfortable car. The three positions of the suspension were fun. It could go lowest over a high way, medium over country roads and highest over parking garage treshholds, and to change wheel you needed no jack, put it in high, place a stick under the wheel to change, put it in low and the wheel came off the ground. Amazing why they stopped making them, the least air resistance ever made, the smoothest ride. Mercedes and Rolls Royce used the air suspension system later, as there is none the better.
BTW, now in Sint Maarten, congested and hilly, I drive an automatic, left foot brake, right foot go. That was not always so, but I started to experiment after driving stick shifts on and off. After 15 years biker on the island got hit by a drunk skunk, hurt my right ankle when rain is in the air, prefer to brake left foot. But driving is a bit like walking or even dancing, I use the foot that is most willing to do what is most needed.

CoodaShooda

18th Aug 2006, 02:05

Just to add a little twist.

Has anyone else come across Toyota's foot operated parking brake? :E

The one where the pedal sits neatly near to where a clutch pedal should be?

Keeps you on your toes when moving from the 6 speed manual Honda Integra to the automatic Toyota 4WD. :eek: :ugh:

The automatic is now very much a right foot only affair, with the left foot tied securely under the seat. :}